London bans bottled water

London bans bottled water

Bottled water will be a thing of the past in one city's council buildings after a ban on its sale was agreed by city chiefs.

London City Council passed a resolution which will favour the use of tap water in all municipal buildings and facilities.

The council said city tap water should be promoted as a safe and economic alternative to bottled water.

It is one of a host of authorities in Ontario, Canada, to limit the use of bottled water in municipal buildings or in schools. A number of other areas in the state are also considering the move.

Nick Benkovich, president of the Ontario Municipal Water Association - which is the voice of public water supply companies - congratulated London city chiefs.

"The City of London's actions remind us once again, only municipal tap water delivers," he said.

"At about one thousand times the cost of municipal water, bottled water is simply not good value for money."

The association said concern over bottled water has been growing as a result of its cost, the poor recycling rate for the plastic bottles and the greenhouse gas emissions associated with manufacturing and transporting the bottles, it said.

"The Ontario Municipal Water Association is proud of the safety of the product that our municipalities produce and deliver every day to Ontarians," said Mr Benkovich.

"Municipal drinking water has to meet a much higher safety standard than bottled water, and is delivered at a fraction of the cost."

The state of Ontario has recently launched a number of initiatives in a bid to improve its environmental record, including incentives for green business, mandatory landfill gas capture, and a producer take-back scheme for WEEE.